It depends on the weather and whther you"re feeding feeders, bred heifers or mature cows and if the later two, the stage of pregnancy.
We live in Western Montana and have a small cow calf operation. We separate the heifers we are developing and the bred heifers from the cows and feed them very well;as much as they"ll eat through out the winter. We"ll switch over to grass/alfalfa in the last trimester of pregnancy to get them in really good shape for calving(bred, first calf heifers) and breeding (yearling heifers- They are going and are going to be "teenage mothers" so they need to be well fed.) Some folks here give them 5 lbs of grain/hd to supplement them but we we don"t.
The mature cows get about 50 lbs of grass( ~4% of body weight per day) untill the last trimester of pregnancy and then we feed them alfalfa/grass at the same rate during the last trimester of their pregnancy.
I"ve found thet feeding cows well (not overfeeding or wasting feed) is the cheapest medicine there is. They stay healthy, have a strong calf, milk well, and re-breed on time.
If the weather gets cold we feed heavier. We watch the cows condition at all times and if we see them getting thin we"ll up the feed.
A good rule of thumb is 4% of body weight per head per day of good hay for mature dry cows ( 1st and 2nd trimesters of pregnacy). 4% mature weight per head per day of 50/50 good quality grass/alfalfa in the last trimester of pregnancy and early lactation. Watch their condition and adjust feeding accordingly. The National Research Council publishes feeding info if you want to really get technically correct with the nutritional needs of cattle so do a web search if you want that kind of info.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Women and Tractors - More Views From the Farmer's Wife - by Teri Burkholder. The top ten reasons why the judges wouldn't let you participate in the stock antique tractor pull: Hey, this is stock! It came with that V8 in it! That "R" on my tires stands for "really old" not radial! Blue gas? We thought it was a pretty color! What wire hooked to my throttle?
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
